Hita
is a small town of about 75,000 people in the west of Oita Prefecture. It's actually closer to Fukuoka than Oita, the prefectural capital. Hita is generally regarded as a nice town to be placed in. It's large enough to have lots of restaurants, bars and so that not everyone will know you, while still being small enough to have a countryside feel. It's also well served by transport links so when you want to escape somewhere bigger, you can. Transportation Getting in To/from the airport Fukuoka Airport is far more convenient that Oita Aiport due to its proximity. Highway buses travel between Hita and Fukuoka Aiport's domestic terminals approximately every 30mins or so. The journey takes about 80 minutes and costs ¥1750. Be careful when leaving from Hita that you get on a service that stops at the airport and not the non-stop service that goes straight to Tenjin. By train Although Hita does have a station, the train is not as convenient as the bus, being more expensive, irregular and less frequent. Services run east to Yufuin (74min, ¥1080) and Oita (130min, ¥2070), and west to Kurume (75min, ¥1080). By bus Highway buses to Fukuoka (both Tenjin and Hakata) leave approximately every 20 minutes from Hita Bus Centre (1.5hours, ¥1750, Timetable link). Some buses stop at the airport which adds on about 15 minutes to the journey. You can buy a book of 4 tickets (a Super Joshaken) for ¥5600. Highway buses to Oita and Beppu only stop on the expressway itself and there is only one bus every 2 hours (Oita: 1.5hours, ¥2450 and Beppu: 1hour, ¥2200 - Timetable link). By car The Oita Expressway has an exit here. Driving northwest it takes about 1 hour to drive to Fukuoka (¥1650). Going east it takes about 1 hour to get to Beppu (¥2000) and about 1 hour 20 minutes to get all the way to Oita (¥2350). Getting around Hita is small enough to get around on by bike alone and you should never really need to use the local buses. A car is useful to get out of town on the weekends but not essential. The ES and JHS ALTs have to drive to some out-of-town schools. City ALTs get to use the BOE's car but the prefectural ALT has to drive their own. Working JET placements As of 2006/2007, Hita is home to seven ALTs. Four of them work as one-shots in Elementary and Junior High Schools (one is employed by the prefecture, the other three by the municipal Board of Education) and three work as base-school ALTs in Senior High Schools. Incoming/Outgoing JETs Three of the four ES/JHS ALTs are leaving (1 prefectural, 2 municipal) and two of the three SHS ALTs are leaving (1 private school, 1 academic public school). If you know that you're coming to Hita this year, please ! TOIN High School ALT =The school = |} * Toin high school is a private coeducational school. * The school was founded in 1950. * The school's academic course caters for those students wishing to continue onto university. * The commercial course that is vocationally focused (IT/business) for those that wish to work upon high school graduation. * The school also offers a correspondence course. * The school is renowned as a baseball school and this is reflected in its recruitment/intake. * Showa is the only other private high school in HITA. =Accommodation = * An old apartment that is convenient (approx 1 minute walk to school; approx 5 min walk to the station) * 2 rooms + kitchen + bathroom + toilet * The apartment comes with it's own fridge, TV, air conditioner & mountain bike. * Rent up until 2007 has been ¥30,000 per month. * Upon arrival, usually you are expected to pay the equivalent of 3 months rent i.e. ¥90,000 as "key money". This is similar to a bond. However, the experience of previous JETS is that this is rarely refunded. * You may choose alternative accommodation, but you will need to research this on your own, the rent may be higher & may involve a higher "key money". =Food on Arrival & Food Budget = * The food budget will vary on whether you are a drinker and how often you eat out. * Based on the experience of the TOIN ALT for school years 2005/2006, 2006/2007, an average weekly grocery bill of ¥8,000-10,000 (includes eating out twice a week) was observed. * You have the choice of 3 convenience stores within 5 min of walk from the apartment (at the time of writing they are - 7/11, Ministop, LAWSON). * As of transition in 2007, on your arrival there should be some fish, meat, & bread in the freezer, canned tuna in the pantry and milk/drinking yoghurt in the fridge. Please repeat the same hospitality for your successor. It is a small cost, but means a lot for the incoming JET. =Utility Bills = Average cost based on experience of the TOIN ALT for school years 2005/2006, 2006/2007 Utilities: * electricity 電気: ¥2000-9000 per month. The electricity bill fluctuates peaking in the heat of summer & the cold of winter. Outside of peaks, usually around ¥3,000. * water: broken into two components - "スイドウリヨウ" & "ゲスイドウ". Both are under ¥1,500, thus making a combined total of about ¥3,000 a month. * gas ガス: ¥3,000-6,000 per month =Extra-curricular Activities = There are a number of clubs at the school that facilitate traditional Japanese arts: * sado 茶道 (traditional tea ceremony) * kyuudo 弓道 (Japanese archery) * aikido 合気道 (martial art) * shodo 書道 (calligraphy) Most of the Hita TOIN ALT JETS have done aikido. One of the high school teachers is a 3rd dan black belt, & the Hita dojo is well respected, teaching a gentler form of the art. You have the opportunity to attend a number of classes before enrolling. =Weather Expectations & Packing = |} * Summer (June/July/August) is very hot & humid in Summer (most days in excess of 30 degrees) * September & October is Typhoon season - whilst on most occasions, the winds barely muster beyond gale force, it is foolhardy to try and go out during a typhoon as flying debris such as roof tiles pose a hazard. School is usually cancelled in the event of a typhoon. * Autumn is very picturesque with the changing colour of the leaves. The best place to appreciate this natural phenomenon is on a bike trail (old rail road) in Yamaguni * Winter is cold (close to zero during the day & sub zero at night) * Spring - the first two weeks of April is cherry blossom viewing 花見 season. You will need to factor both extremes in your packing. Alternatively you can pack lightly and buy most of your clothes here: * There is a chain store "Uniqlo" that sell fashionable but cheap casual & smart casual attire; * there are many large suit stores that sell cheap suits (near KFC / Best Denki - less than 10 minutes by bike, 20 minutes on foot from the apartment). =Work Life & Attire = |} * Usually the workload is 10-14 classes per week + preparation * Your class is usually denoted as 'OC' (Oral Communication) * You will 'team-teach' with 1-2 English teachers * The computer room is available when unbooked as a teaching resource * Work attire is generally a shirt tie & suit pants * During summer a polo shirt is fine * In the winter, wearing a fleece top or something similar because of the cold is acceptable. Times when you will need a full suit: # On the first formal day at school because you'll need to do a small self-introduction to your colleagues in the staff room, and the students in the assembly hall - usually in Japanese. # Formal ceremonies such as the drinking parties (enkais), graduations etc Note: your first formal day at school will likely be a couple weeks after your arrival as you will be arriving during summer break. =Social Life = * Hita is a small town, so if you miss the big smoke, Fukuoka (arguably the best city in Japan) is only a 1.5 hr bus ride away. * Kurume, a bigger town with better cinemas is only approx 20min train ride away. * Within Hita, you have your fellow teachers @ Toin, and the other Hita JETS (6 in all I think) that hang out at a bar/restaurant called Ajito's (opp Daiei grocery store near the station). * If you are part of a club (such as aikido), they have their social events. Aikido club holds a bbq just down the road (2 min from the apartment) every so often. Foreign community Sightseeing Places to visit Festivals *'Hina Dolls Festival' (February/March): During the national Doll's Festival the museums and old houses of Mameda-machi and Kuma-machi open their doors to the public and display their collection of dolls. *'Cherry Blossom Festival' (First Sunday in April): Kizan Park hosts Hita's Cherry Blossom-viewing (hanami) event, where people can enjoy a stroll by the river and a drink under the blossom. *'River Opening Festival' (First weekend after May 20th): A two-day firework display that launches more than 10,000 fireworks over the Mikuma river. If you book well in advance you can watch the display from a river boat! *'Gion Festival' (First Sunday after July 20th): Huge wooden floats (up to 12m high) from different areas of the city are pushed around the streets by volunteers. Foreigners have been known to be invited. *'Tenryo Festival' (Third weekend in October): This festival celebrates Hita's Edo period, when the city (then called Tenryo) was the capital of Kyushu. The highlight is a procession of 200 people through the city in full Edo-period costume. Shopping Hita is blessed with a wide variety of shops. The only things you can't find are imported products like food, but a trip to Cosco in Fukuoka every once in a while can remedy that. Hita's speciality products include wooden clogs called geta and stylised pottery from nearby Onta village. These types of gifts can be found in shops around Mameda-machi which cater to tourists. Supermarkets Home & Garden stores Book shops Bakerys Others Eating Fast food Japanese food Foreign food Drinking Izakayas Bars Living Banks Post offices Medical facilities Libraries Hair dressers Sports facilities Travel agents Map 33.318325,130.934254,Ichijiku okonomiyaki restaurant 33.315519,130.938258,Ajito izakaya 33.320329,130.942215,Ohara-ya restaurant 33.315315,130.939165,Daiei supermarket 33.321319,130.941161,City hall 33.320837517648904,130.94017624855042,City Board of Education 33.33581690772138,130.93603491783142,Sunny supermarket 33.33565556356043,130.93403935432434,GooDay DIY store 33.32388559743939,130.90203523635864,Trial superstore 33.31776243501766,130.93484938144684,Xi Sports Bar 33.31697347504737,130.93759059906006,Sun Live supermarket 33.31055842750218,130.94189018011093,Sofuren yakisoba restaurant 33.32070079980735,130.93885123729706,Hita Tourist 33.310625673635236,130.92669010162353,Nafco 33.31932912697012,130.93578547239304,Oita Bank (main branch) Category:Oita Prefecture Category:Articles using Google maps